In 2019, the first products brought by Agus were Honey and Kopi Pinang at the Kalianda Festival, South Lampung. A bicycle tour event that succeeded in attracting hundreds of bicycle enthusiasts to become participants. From there, the door for Agus’ promotion began to open. “From there, it expanded. Goods must continue to be in stock,” he said.
Three products continue to be developed by Agus. The products are areca coffee, brown sugar, and palm sugar. Areca Coffee already has its fans. Betel coffee has become a symbol of the pride of Kampung Pekandangan, where Agus lives in Central Lampung.
Agus admits that developing Kopi Pinang takes work. Agus has many challenges to face. One of them is the matter of licensing. To take care of the Home Industry Production Permit (PIRT), Agus had to prepare himself for two years, and even then, he failed. But he did not break the charcoal. Agus tries again, and in 2022 he gets it too. “It’s a very long process,” he said.
Agus cooperates with the company if he still needs to obtain a permit. Agus sells his betel coffee to unbranded factories. The company often buys coffee from Agus after knowing from laboratory results that the coffee from Pekandangan Village is the best. However, the long-term impact is that many consumers need to recognize Agus’s brand of Areca coffee. The branding of the product could be more assertive. Although, the company admits that the product comes from a group of farmers from Pekandangan Village.
Agus hopes to expand his marketing network for betel nut coffee through minimarkets. But there is another challenge that he must face, namely, the issue of packaging. To enter the minimarket market network, besides the history and traceability of the product, it is clear. Product packaging is also a concern. “The standard packaging is aluminium foil. Our product already uses it, but we must print the product logo on the packages, not paste it,” he said.
